Preventing the Clash of Civilizations

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The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Roman Herzog, and four internationally renowned scholars from different cultural backgrounds and academic disciplines argue about ways to prevent the scenario of a clash of civilizations from becoming reality. Recognizing that scenario as an intellectual projection with considerable influence on policy-makers across the world, they agree on the necessity to mobilize ideas of cooperation as countervailing forces against mindsets of conflict and violence; to respect the diversity of cultures, but avoid moral relativism; to recognize the danger of fundamentalist instrumentalization of religion for purposes of political power; to cope with economic and social disequilibria that may lead to eruptions of conflict and violence; and to focus on commonalities between cultures as a strategy of peace in a globalized world.